Last week at Atlanta Motor Speedway the race finished just like it did the week before at Bristol with Denny Hamlin taking the NASCAR Checkered flag. This week Denny Hamlin is taking that momentum with him to Richmond International Raceway for the Federated Auto Parts 400.
The Richmond International Raceway is a 3/4 mile, D-shaped oval. There are 14 degrees of banking in the corners, 8 degrees on the front stretch, and 2 degrees on the back stretch. Because of the small size, the front stretch is more a continuation of turns 4 and 1. That is why there is some banking there. Unlike last week at Atlanta, Richmond is a short track. The races there can be similar to Bristol where the drivers beat and bang against one another. Tempers can flare up. The race is 400 laps or 300 miles.
Denny Hamlin has the statistical edge with a driver rating of a very high 117.2 but there is a very hungry driver right behind him with slightly lower ratings. Kyle Busch has a driver rating of 116.1 and like the spring race in which he won, needs a win to insure he makes the Chase for the Sprint Cup. In the spring race Kyle only led 32 laps of 400, two other drivers led more, 324 laps to be precise.
Other drivers to watch are:
Tony Stewart- Can he remain in tenth place and take the bonus points for his three wins with him into the Chase? Can Jeff Gordon race his way into the Chase by beating Kyle Busch? There are other drivers that can get into the Chase but the circumstances that would make it happen would generally require some major carnage taking out some combination of Tony Stewart, Kasey Kahne, Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon. Highly unlikely.
With his two wins the previous weeks, Denny Hamlin has gone from, just in the Chase, to Chase contender and top seed in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. A win at Richmond would ensure he remains the top seed. He also would start the chase with 15 bonus points instead of the 12 he has now. That is what Denny Hamlin is racing for and why he wants to win at Richmond. Taking Momentum and the bonus points with him into the Chase for the Sprint Cup makes him a serious threat to the other eleven guys to win the Championship.
If you can’t make it to Richmond International Raceway, it will be broadcast in prime time, Saturday September 8th on ABC at 7 PM ET.
Brian Berg Jr. is the Lead NASCAR writer for www.RantSports.com.
Follow him on Twitter @brian_jr1 during the race and throughout the week for more NASCAR news and commentary. On Facebook at NASCAR News and Commentary
Top 12 Driver Rating at Richmond
Denny Hamlin………………………. 117.2
Kyle Busch…………………………. 116.1
Kevin Harvick………………………. 111.6
Tony Stewart…………………………. 97.4
Clint Bowyer…………………………. 96.4
Jeff Gordon………………………….. 96.2
Ryan Newman……………………….. 92.4
Mark Martin…………………………… 91.7
Kurt Busch……………………………. 90.8
Jimmie Johnson…………………….. 89.6
Carl Edwards………………………… 89.1
Kasey Kahne………………………… 86.6
Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2012 races (15 total) at Richmond International Raceway.